What is Public Health?

Public health is defined as the science of increasing the health and safety of communities through education, policy making and research for disease and injury prevention.

Public health is cross cutting, utilizing aspects of various disciplines:

Public health can be different for all people. If you are interested in laboratory or field research, creating policy, facilitating education programs, working with numbers or data, or working with people to find solutions to improve their health, there is a public health field for you. Being a public health professional enables you to work around the globe, address health problems of communities as a whole, and influence policies that affect the health of societies.

What do public health professionals do?

As a public health professional, you will be trained to perform one or more of these ten essential services:

Monitor the health status of a community to identify potential problems

Diagnose and investigate health problems and hazards in the community

Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues, particularly the underserved and those at risk

Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems

Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts

Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety

Link people to needed personal health services and ensure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable

With a graduate degree in public health, you could work for:

Government agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to name just a few.

State and local health departments or agencies, such as the Maryland/Washington DC/Virginia Department of Health, or the Montgomery County Health Department, to give examples.

Nonprofits, such as the American Red Cross, Planned Parenthood, Chemonics, Fintrac, or the DC Scores.

Private sector companies, such as health insurers and pharmaceutical companies.

Colleges and universities, such as schools of public health or medicine.

Careers in Public Health

According to the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics there is a large demand for trained public health professionals.

SPH graduates work around the globe, many in leadership positions with such organizations as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Government, Population Services International, William J. Clinton Foundation, and DC Scores. Our alumni also work in

universities

research laboratories

data-management companies

advocacy groups

government agencies

health departments

hospitals

faith-based organizations

community-based organizations

Additional Links

Careers in Behavioral and Community Health

Behavioral and Community Health is a service-oriented profession with a variety of career opportunities that can make meaningful contributions to the health and welfare of the individual and society. Today, with the emphasis on prevention rather than solely on treating the ill, many institutions are developing health promotion and wellness programs for community members. Currently, the job market in community health is excellent. If you enjoy working with people and are interested in health or health related areas, you may want more information about the variety of challenging and very rewarding careers in Behavioral and Community Health. There is a growing need for health professionals who can interface between fields of practice, research, planning, administration and policy development.

Some samples of job titles or opportunities with this degree:

Environmental worksite health promotion

HMO manager

Pharmaceutical outreach educator

Health education program coordinator

Patient health education coordinator

Manager worksite wellness program

Coordinator adolescent health program

Health education consultant

Clinical health educator

Director of community health programming

School health educator

Patient education coordinator

Nutrition Educator

Director of After School Programs

Administrator of long-term care programs

Long-term care planner

Outreach Educator

Smoking cessation contractor

​Careers in Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of the varying rates of disease, injuries, and other health states in human populations. As the fundamental science underlying public health practice, epidemiology provides the conceptual and practical tools necessary for the study of public health problems and the design of adequate control measures. Biostatistics is a science that addresses theory and techniques for describing, analyzing, and interpreting health data. Although biostatistics draws on quantitative methods from fields such as statistics, operations research, economics, and mathematics, the discipline is primarily focused on their applications to problems in the biological, health, and medical sciences.

Some samples of job titles or opportunities with this degree:

Epidemiology

Associate Outcomes Researcher

CDC/CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellow

Clinical Research Coordinator

Content Development Lead

Consumer Safety Officer

Field Epidemiologist

Health Intelligence Analyst

Health Scientist

Infectious Disease Epidemiologist

Pharmaceutical Epidemiologist

Program Analyst

Project Manager

Policy Analyst

Professor

Public Health Analyst

Research Scientist

Biostatistics

Biostatistician

Biomedical Statistician

Clinical Trials Analyst

Data Manager

Director of Biometrics

Director of Biostatistics

Health Care Statistician

Health Data Analyst

Informatics Project Manager

Genetics Data Analyst

Market Analyst

Operations Research Analyst

Professor

Research Analyst

Research Data Coordinator

Survey Statistician

Careers in Family Science

Our Family Science graduates have been extremely successful in obtaining positions addressing a wide range of problems facing families, communities, and larger society. Students pursue their careers in the public, non-profit, and private sectors. Employment experts predict that social and human service jobs will rank among the most rapidly growing fields during the next decade.

Some samples of job titles or opportunities with this degree:

Family services specialist

Adoption caseworker

Child care administrator

Substance abuse counselor

Family policy analyst

Military family support specialist

High school child development/family life teacher

Hospital family support coordinator

Family/divorce mediator

Family planning counselor

Family therapist

Director of counseling services

Elementary school therapist

Human resource manager

Director, work and family programs

Therapeutic foster care counselor

Director of university resident life program

Chaplain and therapist, U.S. Army

University research administrator

Assistant professor, research university

Family policy analyst

Cooperative Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development

Marriage and family therapist

Careers in Health Services Administration

The Department of Health Services Administration combines health care management with health services delivery systems to address issues in health care systems, health care delivery and management, health services policy, disparities in access to care, long term care, chronic disease and disability care, and financing and economics in public health services delivery. At a time of extraordinary need driven by rising health care costs, the aging of the population and growing health disparities, the Department of Health Services Administration seeks to prepare graduate students for research and careers in areas of health services delivery and administration pertinent to these critical issues. Career opportunities for public health graduates include mid- to executive-level administrative positions in all sectors of the health care industry.

Some samples of job titles or opportunities with this degree:

Management analyst

Manager of health maintenance organization

President of hospital association

Regional vice president of multi-hospital system

Director of ambulatory services

Director of strategic planning

Director of hospital outpatient department

President of planning for health maintenance organization

Director of family health center

Community health care organizer

Analyst for Medicare agency

Executive director of health systems agencies

Medical care administrator

Nursing home chief executive officer

Hospice director

Health care analyst

Health facilities planner

Gerontology coordinator

Careers in Kinesiology​

Kinesiology brings together people who study human physical activity from a variety of perspectives and at many levels of analysis. From molecules, genes, neurons, muscles of an individual performer, to sport in society, and the study of groups that promote and educate others about physical activity, the University of Maryland's Department of Kinesiology is unique in its depth and breadth. All majors in the department gain conceptual and experiential knowledge in the anatomical, physiological, psychological, sociological, educational, historical, and managerial perspectives on physical activity, movement, exercise and sport. Kinesiology graduates will go on to further study in health professions, sport-related professions, fitness-related professions and other health and physical activity-related careers.

Some samples of job titles or opportunities with this degree:

Community Exercise Coordinator

Corporate Wellness Director

Personal Trainer/ Fitness consultant

Director of Fitness

Lifestyle Coach

Athletic Trainer

Recreation Specialist

Sports management

Strength & Conditioning Coach

Physical Education Teacher

Health Education Teacher

Rehabilitation Specialist

Professor

Biomechanics Researcher

Cognitive motor neuroscientist

Careers in Applied Enivornmental Health

Environmental health research explores the impacts of our natural and man-made environment on human health. Yet, the environment is not limited to our air, water, soil and food. It also encompasses our sociocultural environment, economic environment, work environment and family environment. The phrase “applied environmental health” means translating the results of environmental health research into positive actions and public health interventions that are appropriate in the context of our total sociocultural and economic environment at local, national and global levels.